The Scars Remain

by DragonFlame91

"Death was not the end for her, just another adventure". Riley Gilbert is the cousin of Elena and Jeremy who left Mystic Falls years ago and always knew about the supernatural world. After a near-death encounter with a vampire, she returns and finds out that her family has kept many secrets from her, including the reason why vampires are dangerously attracted to her blood.

24. Three Shots

The morning after the disastrous Halloween party, Riley and Jayden devised a plan to cover Alison's sudden disappearance. It would not be enough to compel her family like last time and they could not simply blame her absence on an illness. With no other options, besides outing Alison to the council and risking members of the council attempting to kill her, Riley decided to alter the memory of every person in Mystic Falls. Standing in the middle of town square, she cast a miles-wide compulsion spell that even affected the vampires. It was believed that Alison had nearly died from alcohol poisoning at the party and her parents sent her to a rehab center in Florida to deal with her alcohol problem. The excuse was not that far-fetched, considering that Alison was known for getting very drunk at parties. To prevent her friends from sending her texts or calling her, Riley made them think that Alison's phone had been taken away until she showed signs of improvement. Jayden worried about the long-term effects of the spell when eventually, Alison's family wanted to visit her. Riley assured him that they would deal with that problem by sending fake messages though she doubted Alison's parents, who were very uptight and stern about keeping a perfect appearance, would show concern for their daughter until many months later, possibly even years.

Keeping her promise to Jayden, she avoided most of her friends. She ignored all of their attempts to talk to her and purposely stayed away from places like Mystic Grill. Caroline, Bonnie, and Matt, who all refused to lose Riley as a friend, would wait outside her house every day, wanting to explain their actions on the night of Finn's death. Riley was aware that Bonnie had no idea that they planned to kill an Original but could not excuse the rest of them. Though she was not part of the group, she still knew about their schemes. She learned that the death of an Original caused the death of every vampire in their bloodline. Damon had stopped by her house, asking her to join him and Elena on a trip to Colorado. They wanted to use Jeremy's ability to see ghosts as a way to figure out who sired their bloodline. If it was not Klaus, they could kill him with the White Oak stake. No one, besides Caroline, seemed to care that getting rid of Klaus would ensure Tyler's death. Damon tried to appeal to her by apologizing for his rude remark on the night that Rebekah tortured him but she refused to join their trip.

In her desperation to avoid her friends, she would spend time at the Mikaelson mansion. It was ironic that while they were planning to kill the Originals, she was getting closer to Rebekah and Klaus. Now that Rebekah did not see her as some manipulative girl attempting to seduce two of her brothers, they were starting to become friends. Rebekah had roped her into helping out with the twenties decade dance. When she did not have to set up decorations in the gym, she spent time with Klaus, watching him paint or showing him some of her drawings. She hoped that Elijah would return to Mystic Falls for the dance. They had spent many nights on the phone, having long conversations. He and Clare were researching ways to destroy the bone blade and Clare warned her of rumors that Alec was heading to Mystic Falls within days. The thought of Alec showing up in town made Riley very paranoid. She had her guard up at all times, checking for any suspicious activity.

Her parents had spoken to the council, lying about Alec's intentions. They convinced the council that if he was seen, he should be knocked unconscious and brought to the abandoned witch cottage. Her mother was sure that the spirits would keep him trapped inside the cottage until they decided on the best way to deal with him. Riley wanted to mention that she had her own protection by casting that spell in the blood circle but knew that it would sound insane if she told her parents that her dark conscience gave her advice through a video on her phone. Just saying it in her own head sounded like the mutterings of a patient in a mental institution.

Riley was sitting in Klaus's studio as he painted on a canvas. They were waiting for Rebekah to return with the last White Oak stake. The previous night, Stefan had gotten the location from Alaric's alter ego. The stake had been hidden in the cave near the Lockwood cellar. Rebekah forced Alaric to the cave since a barrier spell kept out all vampires. From Jeremy, she learned that the trip to Colorado was a complete failure. Kol killed the vampire who turned Rose, making it impossible to find out who sired their bloodline. During the trip, Damon and Elena shared another kiss, which only fueled the little love triangle between her and the Salvatore brothers. She deleted every new text that was not from Jayden, Jeremy, Tyler, or her parents. Tyler had also made a surprise return to town, his sire bond broken.

"Perhaps you'll let me paint you next"

"This isn't Titanic and you are no Jack Dawson. You wish you were Jack"

"Then who am I?"

"Hmm…I'd say the ship"

He chuckled and swiped her nose with the paintbrush. The tip of her nose was covered in blue paint. She wiped it away as her phone vibrated on her lap. There was a text from Elijah.

"Is that another text from one of your friends, begging you to forgive them?"

"No. It's Elijah"

Klaus tensed up slightly, gripping the paintbrush. "Is he still in Chicago?"

"New York now. There's both good news and bad news. Good news is that they found a way to destroy that weapon. Bad news is the spell requires the power of a hundred witches and at the moment, only five are willing to save my life"

"You'll find a way to protect yourself. You're a fighter. If that man shows up here and tries to harm you, I'll rip out his spine"

"Maybe I already figured out a way"

He looked at her. "You found a spell? Have you mentioned it to Elijah or your parents?"

"No. I shouldn't even tell you but I think you'd understand it. We have some things in common. People think we're like the devil incarnate and people in our families were willing to kill us. I know the spell will work but what happens after is the difficult part"

"What does that mean?"

Riley was saved from explaining the spell when Rebekah walked into the room. She thought there was something strange about her demeanor. Rebekah handed Klaus the stake and he immediately threw it into the fireplace. Promising to talk to Klaus later, she left the mansion and drove over to Mystic Grill to meet Jayden for lunch. She only agreed to go to the grill because it was Jeremy's shift. Jayden was sitting at a back table.

"How was fingerpainting with Klaus?"

"I wasn't with—fine, I was at their house. I know you don't like Klaus"

"Definitely don't"

"But he's keeping me sane while Elijah is gone. He's not that terrible, Jay"

"When we said no supernatural things, it kind of implied no hanging out with Originals"

"Well, I'm the only reason those idiots haven't tried to attack him or Rebekah and drawing keeps my mind off of the psycho that wants to kill me"

"I think we have a problem. At practice this morning, Cameron was talking to me about Alison. He doesn't understand why she would relapse again. Apparently, she's been to rehab before…two years ago during winter break. We all thought they were visiting their grandparents. He said that Alison was doing well and then this incident happened out of nowhere"

"What did you tell him?"

"That it's tough to get over an alcohol problem. I think we should find Alison. I haven't heard a word from her for the past week and we both know that she'd be sending me a million texts, begging me to convince you that she can return to town. What if she's dead?"

It would be easy for Riley to show no concern for Alison. Despite their rivalry, she did not want her dead. Her immense anger towards her at the Halloween party had been misdirected as Alison was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jayden urged her to cast a locater spell. He took out a map from his duffel bag.

"You were prepared for this, huh?"

"You're worried about her too. I know that it's a risk for her to come back here but at least we'll know if she's safe"

"I need the blood of a relative so unless—"

Jayden handed her a tiny vial of blood. "I accidentally hit Cam a little too hard during practice and he cut his knee. I used a rag to wipe up the blood then put it in a vial from the chemistry lab"

"Oh yea, that was all by accident" she said, sarcastically.

She poured the blood onto the map. Quietly casting the spell, she stared at the map and waited for the drop of blood to move in any direction. The drop stopped a few miles outside Mystic Falls.

"Is she alive?"

"Yea. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she finally got the hint that you're not interested…or maybe you miss the attention"

He threw her a playful glare. "Ha ha"

Jeremy brought over a plate of fries and two glasses of soda. He sat with them at the table for his break. Earlier in the day, he had been setting up the final decorations for the dance.

"You're going to the dance, right?"

"Not sure yet. As adorable as I'd look as a flapper girl, I think I'd have more fun at home, watching horror movies and stuffing my face with some ice cream"

"We're going, Jer. Don't listen to Debbie Downer" said Jayden.

"I don't want to go"

"The gym will be packed, Ri. We'll avoid certain people all night"

"Are you still mad at Elena and the others?" asked Jeremy.

"If they tried to indirectly kill you, then you'd understand my anger"

"Elena said—"

"Elena can say anything she wants. No offense, Jer, but she's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed"

"I think you should hear her out. At least—were you doing a locater spell?" he said, noticing the map.

Riley crumpled the map and tossed it into her purse. She lied to Jeremy that she was checking on Elijah because he had not called her in a few days. When she returned home, she got dressed for the dance, wearing a black flapper dress, short black heels, and a sparkly, dark green headband with a black rose pinned to the side. Jayden bought her a corsage that matched her headband. They arrived at the dance, finding it packed from wall to wall. She spent time with Jeremy, Jayden, and some of his jock friends. Out of sympathy for being the reason behind Alison's disappearance, she even danced with Cameron. She was waiting on the line for drinks with Jeremy and caught him staring at Bonnie and another guy.

"You miss her?"

"Is it that hard to tell? I messed up"

"If two people are meant to be together, they find their way back to each other"

"Riley, can we talk?" she heard.

Elena was standing beside her. Riley looked at Jeremy, pretending that she was nonexistent.

"Tell the invisible ghost behind me that I don't want to talk to it"

"I'm not using Jeremy like some kind of carrier pigeon"

Grabbing Riley's arm, she pulled her over to an empty corner. Elena refused to accept that they were no longer friends. She missed not being able to hang out with her or just talk to her for a few minutes.

"I know I messed up, Riley. I've made a lot of mistakes. We should've told you about our plan to go after Finn but there's a reason that we didn't worry about the link between you and the Originals"

"What's tonight's bullshit excuse?"

"While me, Caroline, and Matt were walking around town, this woman came up to us and asked to speak to me alone. Somehow, she knew all these things…that we're cousins, you're a witch, and the linking spell. She wasn't a witch herself. She was just a normal person but she told me that if we killed an Original, it wouldn't kill you. You would feel really sick but you'd be fine"

"You trusted some stranger? How stupid can you get?"

"She knew a lot about you, Riley…about all of us. She told me that she was part of the council. I wanted to believe that she was telling the truth. I would never put your life in danger. If there was a chance you could die, I would stop Damon and Stefan from killing any of the Originals"

"How could she have any idea about the linking spell? If she was part of the council, you'd recognize her, Elena. Why would you—did anything strange happen during this conversation?"

"No. We talked about the linking spell, how I was worried about you, and I got upset. She gave me a handkerchief because I was crying a little. After that, she told me that you wouldn't die along with the Originals…and I just believed her"

Riley grabbed her chin. She noticed a barely visible shadow swirling in the corner of Elena's eyes. Thinking about the handkerchief, she realized that it was hexed, making Elena susceptible to the woman's words. When the woman suggested that the death of an Original would not put Riley in danger, Elena instantly believed her. She hugged Elena and secretly removed the hex.

"Y—you're not mad at me?"

"No"

"But you said it was stupid to trust—"

"You're not stupid. Just forget it. I know you wouldn't have hurt me, even if it meant you could get rid of Klaus"

"A—are you sure we're okay?"

"Yea. Stay with Stefan the rest of the night. I need to talk to Jayden"

"Why?"

"He uh planned a prank on you guys to cheer me up so I'm going to stop him before Caroline gets black paint all over her dress"

Once Elena returned to Stefan, Riley moved through the massive crowd. She found Jayden by the wall, talking to his jock friends. His friends made catcalls when she asked for a moment alone with him. Flipping them off, he followed her out of the gym. She told him about the hex on Elena and how it was the reason behind their willingness to kill Finn.

"She must've told them what that woman said and they believed her because…why would Elena put me in danger like that?"

"But witches can't get through the barrier. Isn't that why Alec has that sacrificial blade thing? He needs it to break through the spell"

"It wasn't Alec. I think she was compelled by Esther. She wanted to kill her children but they wouldn't use those stakes because I'm linked to the Originals. It was the handkerchief. Elena used it and the hex on it affected her mind. When they killed Finn, it should've killed all of the Originals and me. Esther didn't know that Bonnie and I were doing the unlinking spell"

"Have you seen her since the night of that ritual on the full moon?"

"No. Klaus hasn't seen any sign of her but she has to be alive. Maybe she's meeting up with Alec so they can kill me together. I just feel awful. They kept trying to talk to me and I just—"

"Ri, this isn't your fault. How could you expect that Elena would get mind controlled by a hexed tissue? No one would think of that. It's good that we know the truth. Don't get paranoid. He's not here. Elijah would warn you if Alec was anywhere near this town"

"And when he shows up…are you prepared to do what we talked about, Jay?"

He swallowed hard and put his hands on her shoulders. "It won't come to that. Elijah and those witches are going to come up with a better solution and they'll get rid of that lunatic. I'll do it if it's the only option but let's hope that it's not. Let's not think about it right now. We're supposed to be having fun tonight"

Slow dance music was playing in the gym. Glancing around the crowd, she could not find Elena, Stefan, Jeremy, or Bonnie. Her first thought was that something had gone wrong. She was distracted by Klaus walking over to them, dressed in a light grey suit.

Jayden scoffed. "I see you have the Damon problem. You realize that this dance is for high school students, right? You're a bit late…by like a thousand years"

"I've always enjoyed the twenties. You don't mind if I steal your date away for a dance, do you?"

"Actually, I do mind. Unlike your hybrids, I don't have to do whatever you want"

"You've got quite the mouth on you, Jayden…very unlike your father"

"It's fine, Jay. It's just a dance" said Riley, stopping him from throwing a punch.

Klaus smirked in amusement. He grabbed her hand, leading her onto the dance floor. His other hand wrapped around her waist. She had a feeling that he waited for a slow song before approaching her for a dance. He remarked that she would have loved the twenties.

"The girls were very much like you. Reckless, sexy, fun…"

"Could they throw a nice right hook if their partner got too handsy?" she asked, keeping his hand from moving below her waist.

"How can I help myself?"

"Why are you here? Don't tell me it's for nostalgia or to get a dance from me"

"I'm leaving tomorrow"

She looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"For good. You don't know how badly I want to bring you with me, to convince you to forget about Elijah and travel with me to the ends of the Earth…but we both know you're not ready. Perhaps in a year or two, you'll show up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer. You'll let me love you as you deserve to be loved"

Tears brimmed her eyes. For a moment, the slow music was drowned out by the sound of her smacking him across the face. Riley stormed out of the gym, ripping the headband out of her hair. As she stepped out of the front doors, Klaus appeared in front of her.

"Get out of my way"

"Riley, why are you—"

"I said get out of my way!" she shouted, her fists clenched.

All of the balloons by the entrance popped, two of the lamp posts shattered and crashed to the ground, and a fire started in the shrubs. A group of sophomore football players hurried into the school to find the fire extinguisher. People whispered about the strange incident, blaming the fire on a fault in the wiring for the lights. Klaus and Riley knew that it was caused by an outburst of her magic.

"How can you say those things to me? How can you talk about a year from now when you know that I probably won't even make it to next week?" she hissed.

"That's not true"

"Why? Because your optimism is going to form some kind of protection spell around me when Alec tries to plunge that blade into my chest? Let me be the realistic one since everyone else wants to pretend that I'm not in any danger. The witches won't help me. They either think that I'm some evil witch threatening to destroy them or they're too afraid to fight against Alec. Even if you do kill him, Klaus, what's stopping some other witch from rising up in his place and finishing the job?"

"We will find a way"

"When? He could be here now. He could be waiting outside my house and attack me while I'm asleep. Let's say that Elijah manages to convince a hundred witches to help me. By that time, I could be a rotting corpse. Maybe all of you just need to accept the truth like me…I'm going to die. So stop talking about the future because I don't have one"

As she moved past him, she was knocked back by an invisible force. Salt had been poured across the road for a barrier spell.

"What is this?" said Klaus.

Stefan walked over to them. "Your mother's back"

He brought them into the cafeteria. Bonnie had set up candles on a table. Damon, Jeremy, Matt, and Bonnie's date, who she introduced as Abby's adopted son Jamie, were standing around while she lit the candles. Elena had left the dance with Esther to help Alaric and the barrier was preventing them from leaving the school. To weaken the barrier quickly, Riley joined her in casting the spell. Jeremy suggested that since supernatural beings were kept in the school by the barrier, he and Matt could save Elena by themselves. Stefan called it a suicide mission. To motivate them to work faster, Klaus threatened to kill Jamie. Riley chucked a candle at him.

"Put him down. We're going as fast as we can. It's your bitch mother who did the spell so take your anger out on her"

"Let me and Matt go after them"

"Jeremy, you're not going anywhere near a really powerful witch"

"Do you have a better plan? Find out where they are and then we'll at least try to save Elena while you and Bonnie work on the lowering the barrier"

Damon retrieved a map of Mystic Falls. He handed Riley a vial of Jeremy's blood. Bonnie was hesitant to cast a locater spell. There was a lot of pent-up anger towards Damon and Stefan for turning her mother into a vampire. He gave her a hasty apology, showing little sympathy, but it only made Bonnie angrier, telling him that he had a choice to not hurt her mother. The locater spell was being blocked by Esther. Riley overpowered her, wiping the blood from her nose. The drop of blood moved over to the cemetery. Jeremy and Matt planned to get weapons from Alaric's apartment. Riley hugged Jeremy, worried that Esther would kill him.

"I'll be fine. Once you get the barrier down, you'll meet us there and we can get Elena back"

"Just be careful"

They drove off in Matt's car. Before Riley could return to the cafeteria, Damon stopped her. He pulled her into an empty classroom.

"Let's talk. You're in a bad mood"

"Because Esther might try to hurt Elena"

"It's not that. Is this about your little witchy problem?"

"No. Elijah's going to come back with a solution and everything will be sunshine and cotton candy"

"If you thought that, you wouldn't be all angsty"

"Damon, I don't want to talk about it right now. I need to help Bonnie with the spell"

After a dozen more attempts, Riley and Bonnie managed to lower the barrier around the school. It was suspiciously easy to break through the spell. Riley wondered if it was part of some trap by Esther. Klaus vanished from the school. When Stefan thanked them for their help, Bonnie was cold to him. She returned to the school to find Jamie.

"Just give her time, Stefan. It's tough for her"

"I do appreciate your help, Riley. After what happened last week, you didn't have to do anything for us"

"Well, you never know when things can take a turn for the worse so it's best to do some good deeds while you're around…" she said as Jayden left the school.

Once Riley filled him in on what happened, they left for the cemetery. Klaus had taken Esther's body. Riley hoped that he burned it to a crisp to ensure his mother never returned to the physical world. Esther's plan had been to turn Alaric into an Original vampire and to use his Gilbert ring to make the remaining White Oak stake indestructible. He would be a vampire hunter like Mikael. Elena's blood was used for the spell and Alaric drank it before being stabbed with the stake. Returning to his old self, he decided to not complete the transition into a vampire. They were standing outside the tomb with the others, including Meredith who had been called by Damon. Riley lit candles around the tomb as a goodbye. Elena and Jeremy left the tomb, looking very upset. He stood beside her, staying silent as she consoled him.

"It'll be okay"

"This isn't okay, Riley" he whispered.

"I know but it's the right thing to do, Jer. It shouldn't have to be like this but Esther did this to him"

"I'm going with Matt to the grill. Do you want to come?"

"I'll meet you there. Jayden can go with you"

Damon was sitting on a stone bench. While the others dispersed in all different directions, she walked over to him. She decided to wait with him for Alaric to pass away in the tomb. For a few minutes, they sat in complete silence. She twirled the stake between her hands. Meredith left the tomb, telling them that she gave Alaric a sedative to put him to sleep. Damon had offered to snap his neck for a quick death. She suggested that he speak to Alaric and after thinking it over, he walked into the tomb.

"Riley, do you want me to take you home? Your dad wouldn't want you out here late at night"

"I'll be fine. Someone needs to stay with Damon. He uh wanted me to ask you if the council heard anything about that warlock. What was his name? Alan…no, Alec"

"Liz has been tracking his whereabouts. He can hide himself with magic but magic does not erase credit card activity. Last I heard, he was in Maryland. I wouldn't worry about him. If he does show up here, my money is on some revenge against Damon"

Riley let out a weak giggle. "Yea, probably"

"Have a good night"

Half an hour later, Damon was still in the tomb. Riley took out her phone and dialed a number. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Elijah, please call me back. I don't care if you couldn't get that spell to work. I just need you here. He's getting closer and—I don't want my last memory of you to be us in some dirty hotel room. I at least want one more date. It can even be at the grill and you can shame everyone into thinking they're slobs while you're all spiffy in a suit. Just come back"

She hung up, seeing Damon leave the tomb. Wiping at her eyes, she stood up from the bench. Though he looked calm, it was obvious that he was affected by Alaric's death.

"Is he..."

"Almost. You didn't have to stay"

"Someone has to make sure you don't make a dumb decision. Besides, I wanted to talk to you. You're right that I was in a bad mood. I need you to promise me that if something happens to me—"

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Riley"

"If it does, you need to promise that you'll watch over Elena and Jeremy, especially him. I know that Stefan will protect them too…and so will my parents but you understand that sometimes, tough choices have to be made"

"You know that I'll protect them but you are not going anywhere. Your fancy Original boyfriend is going to come swooping in like a white knight to save you and then you two are going to be a happy little couple. Think of all that we've faced in this town. Werewolves, an Original hybrid, his crazy witch mother…this guy will be like fighting a teddy bear. No more moping. We already lost Ric and we're not losing you too"

Riley sensed someone entering the cemetery. Turning around, she saw Bonnie with a dazed expression on her face. Damon assumed that she was sleepwalking. Bonnie waved her hand. Riley was slammed into the wall of the tomb and knocked unconscious.

When she woke up, it was the next morning. She shielded her eyes from the sun and stood up, wiping the dirt and grass off her back. Hurrying into the tomb, she found Damon feeding his blood to a light-headed Bonnie. Before she could even ask about the missing Alaric, Damon explained that Bonnie slept walk into the tomb and gave him her blood, transitioning him into an Original vampire. The White Oak stake was also gone. While Bonnie and Damon argued, Riley spotted two bowls on a stone table. Both bowls were filled with blood though only one of them had melted silver on its edges. Riley waved her hands over both bowls. The blood in the cleaner bowl separated into two different blobs, indicating that it came from separate sources.

"Would you two shut up?"

"Well, I'm not the one who fed Ric blood so he could turn into an invincible vampire hunter" said Damon.

"It's not my fault. The witches led me here. They wanted him to turn and I couldn't stop them" insisted Bonnie.

"What witchy juju are you doing over there?" he asked Riley.

"Nothing. We should tell the others"

Damon drove them over to Elena's house. Stefan was the one to open the door since Elena and Jeremy were busy painting Alaric's old room. While Riley grabbed a dish towel from the kitchen, Damon told him what happened at the tomb. Bonnie glared at Damon, holding the dish towel to her injured neck. Riley turned off her phone, ignoring the texts from Rebekah, who wanted help cleaning up the mess from the dance, and Klaus.

"So how do we kill him now?" asked Stefan.

"Well, nothing is every truly immortal. There has to be a loophole" said Riley.

"So, what is it?" asked Damon.

She shrugged. "It's not my spell so I can't figure it out with a snap of my fingers. Stefan, did Elena tell you what Esther did last night?"

"All I know is that she took Elena's blood because she's a doppelganger. She fed the blood to Alaric then stabbed him with the stake. Could you figure out Esther's immortality spell and then see if there's a way to kill him?"

"We can try"

There was a knock at the door. Damon told them to work on finding a loophole to Esther's spell and left the kitchen with Stefan. Riley grabbed a notebook from the living room and sat at the table with Bonnie, drawing two circles. She sketched the image of the two bowls from memory.

"In this bowl, she melted the Gilbert ring to alter the White Oak stake"

"So it won't burn up when used on an Original. Then, she got Elena's blood and Alaric drank it" said Bonnie.

"What about this second bowl?"

"It's where the blood went"

"No. It does have some of Elena's blood but there's other blood in the bowl too. Maybe whatever it is in here is what we can use to break the immortality spell"

"Should we head back to the tomb?"

"No. It would take too long and Alaric could already be hunting Rebekah or Klaus"

Riley flicked her wrist. Both bowls reappeared on the table. As they inspected the bowls, they heard the door slam shut. Bonnie stepped out of the kitchen. Waving her hand over the bowl with Elena's blood, she cast a spell. Elena's face was reflected in the blood. Casting the same spell on the second bowl, she saw Elena's face and her own looking up at her. She was distracted by the sound of glass breaking and Stefan, Damon, Jeremy, and Bonnie rushed into the kitchen. Elena had vanished from the house. Klaus was outside, wanting to take her with him so he could create more hybrids.

"Any luck on that loophole?" said Stefan.

"All I know is that the spells are different. Elijah told me about the first spell. When she made her children into vampires, she bound their immortality to the White Oak tree. That's why the White Oak stake is lethal to them. This time, she didn't have the tree"

"Then what did she bind him to?"

"Still working on that. But there's something else. This second bowl has—"

A soccer ball crashed into the table. Damon pulled her down to the floor, hiding her under the table. A fence post nearly cut off his head. He proceeded to have a throwing match with Klaus, both of them chucking fence posts. Stefan was talking to someone on the phone.

"That was Alaric. He has Caroline and Elena. If Klaus doesn't turn himself in, he'll kill them both"

"Then we better drag him over there" said Damon.

"Let's go talk to him. You three stay in here. Riley and Bonnie, keep working on finding a way to put down Alaric"

Riley showed Bonnie that one of the bowls contained blood from both her and Elena. Bonnie questioned how Esther managed to obtain her blood. In Riley's mind, it was not very surprising. She could imagine Esther sneaking into her room at night and cutting her hand with a knife. They struggled to determine how to kill Alaric due to this altered spell. Bonnie searched for another method of putting down Alaric, besides death.

"Why would she use your blood, Riley?" asked Jeremy.

"Maybe because of my strong bloodline. Doppelganger blood is a great binding agent for a spell. It's why Elena's blood could break the hybrid curse. But why would she have two different bowls? Why not just mix mine into this one?"

She examined the second bowl closely. Casting a spell, she was able to see fingerprints. The prints on the bowl did not match the one with only Elena's blood.

"This was for someone else"

"What do you mean?"

"There's different fingerprints on the bowl. Alaric didn't drink from this one because she gave it to another person. Someone else was there that night"

"Elena only saw Esther and Alaric"

"Maybe there was another person outside"

"Who?"

Riley and Bonnie shared a quick glance. Both of them were thinking that Alec was the person outside the tomb. It was possible that Esther cast another spell, with Elena's blood, to aid him in killing Riley. She worried that Alec drank from the same bowl to strengthen his magic. Bonnie changed the subject by mentioning a dessication spell. Her mother had used it on Mikael years ago to prevent him from finding Elena. The spell worked by stopping the heart of a vampire and in order for the vampire to awaken, they needed blood. After Bonnie called her mother, telling her to meet them at the boardinghouse, they walked outside. Despite being much older, the three guys argued like children.

"She's Riley's cousin. You'll lost your shot with her completely if you let them die…unless you think you've already lost to your big brother" said Damon.

Riley smacked him upside the head. Klaus turned towards her.

"Bonnie has a good idea. Since we don't know how to kill Alaric, we can desiccate him"

"My mother used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for years. If we can get the spell, we might be able to use it on Alaric"

"If and might…your words inspire such confidence" said Klaus.

"She'll get it but we need a lot of vampire muscle to keep him down. Bonnie, Damon, and I will meet with her mother to get the details on the spell and you take Stefan and Jeremy to the school" said Riley.

"And if—"

"No ifs. I told you what to do so just do it. When we're headed over to the school, we'll text Jeremy"

Grabbing the keys from Damon's coat pocket, she brought Bonnie over to his car. "Get in the car, Damon, or you can run home"

"Wh—it's my car!"

"Three, two…"

A second later, he was in the passenger seat. Riley drove them over to the boardinghouse. They sat in the living room, waiting for Bonnie's mother. As an hour passed, Bonnie became more anxious. Abby finally arrived and Damon went into the kitchen to get her a drink. She looked surprised to see Riley.

"Riley? Is that you?"

"Hey. We haven't really had time to see each other…both been busy with stuff. I did help Bonnie bring you back to her house after the failed ritual at the cottage. You're looking well"

"How are you alive?"

"Well, I exercise and eat a healthy diet. Did you expect to find my grave instead of me?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just…I've heard some things. I'm glad that you're all right"

"For now" muttered Riley, sipping a glass of bourbon.

Bonnie nudged her side. When Damon returned and offered Abby a glass filled with blood, she merely glared at him. Taking the hint, he sat beside Riley. Bonnie questioned her about the desiccation spell. Abby believed that she could not handle the powerful magic necessary for such a spell, calling it dark magic. If a vampire was desiccated, they would be completely immobilized. To cast the spell, a physical connection with the vampire's heart was required, along with stopping a human heart. Riley thought of using Jeremy since he could be brought back by the Gilbert ring.

"We can do that"

"I don't think you should help with the spell, Riley" said Abby.

"Why not? I'm a witch"

"It's very…"

"You don't want to take the risk that my evil alter ego buried deep inside my soul will emerge and take over my body, forcing me to destroy all witches and bringing on a new era where darkness will rain down on the Earth. Relax, that was a joke. If Bonnie thinks she can do it herself, I will be on Team Muscle and help to take down Alaric"

Abby gave them the details of the spell. On the way to the school, Riley collected Bonnie's blood in a vial. Jeremy refused to take off his Gilbert ring. They worried that if he died, he could suffer from a situation like Alaric's, before turning into an Original vampire, but he was adamant about protecting Elena. Riley passed around the vial of blood, explaining that it linked them to Bonnie. As Riley took the final sip, Klaus mentioned that he sired their bloodline.

"What a coincidence that you tell us that now" said Riley.

"Just thought I should point it out so they don't let the teacher kill me"

They entered the school quietly, checking for any sign of Caroline, Elena, or Alaric. Stefan told them to split up into two groups. Klaus stayed with her, following her down the corridor near the gym.

"That offer still stands, love"

"You're seriously talking about that when we're trying to save one of my best friends and my cousin?"

"As soon as we save Elena, I'm leaving with her. You can join us. Why stay here, waiting for that warlock to come after you?"

"Maybe I just want to accept the inevitable"

He pinned her against the wall. "Why do you talk like that? Why are you so accepting that you could die any day now?"

"I'm not afraid of dying, Klaus. Unlike you, I can't live forever. At some point, I'll die…and maybe this is my time"

"I could turn you into a vampire. Just say the word"

"I don't want that. Elijah would never—"

"Elijah, Elijah, Elijah…you keep talking about him and yet he isn't here. Such a caring man. I'm the one who's here while he's off with other witches"

"To protect me! I know what you're trying to do but I'm not that dumb. He does care about me. He's been trying to find any possible way to save me from Alec. Don't you think I want him here? Alec is in Mystic Falls right now and he's just waiting for the right opportunity. Your mother fed him a mixture of my blood and Elena's blood. She probably did some spell to make sure he could kill me"

"Then if your final day is near, you can't fault me for doing this"

Her eyes widened when he kissed her. It was intense and passionate. For a split second, she could feel herself giving in but she stopped herself. He pulled away, his thumb brushing against her cheek.

"I refuse to accept that your life is soon at its end. One day, I will see you again and you'll kiss me because you want to, Riley. You may care for Elijah but a small part of you thinks of me. In my absence, that small part of your heart will only grow more"

Riley did not move from the lockers, even when he let go of her. She was snapped out of her own thoughts when Caroline ran down the hallway.

"Riley?"

"Caroline, get out of here. Go home. We'll get Elena"

"No, you need to leave. Alaric isn't alone. He—"

"It doesn't matter. Go before he finds you"

Hearing a loud noise, they turned the corner. Elena was leaning against the lockers, frightened. Damon and Stefan grabbed onto both of Alaric's arms. Riley cast a spell to keep him frozen to the floor as Klaus moved closer to make contact with his heart.

"Riley, look out!" shouted Elena.

She felt a sharp tug on her ponytail and was thrown across the hallway. As she lifted herself up, she was face to face with Alison. Veins protruded under her eyes that slowly filled with blood.

"Hi Gilbert"

"Alison? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, are you surprised to see me? Did you really think I'd stay away? Nice trick with making everyone think I was in rehab. That magic comes in handy, doesn't it? I was really upset after the Halloween party. You were very rude to me and someone else agreed…like me, this old lady thought you were a huge bitch. It turns out that she was a witch too and she did a little spell"

"You're the one who drank out of that bowl with my blood"

"That's right. I'm like Mr. Saltzman. His job is to get rid of the Originals. You're smart, Gilbert. Can you guess my job? I'll give you a couple seconds"

"Ali—"

"Time's up" she said, kicking Riley in the face.

The force of the kick sent Riley flying into the lockers. Alison lifted her up by her jacket collar.

"It wasn't hard for me to accept her offer. Even stronger than a normal vampire and I get to kill the girl I hate most in the entire world"

"Alison, if he kills Rebekah, you die too"

"Then I'll just have to kill you before that happens"

"Jayden wouldn't forgive you. You'd never—"'

"I don't care about Jayden anymore. It's clear to me now that he won't ever like me. He's too interested in whatever magical pixie dust comes out of your lady parts and makes all these guys fall for you. Maybe with you dead, I could get something out of him. He'll be too distraught over losing his precious best friend to care if he's hooking up with me"

"You're pathetic, Montgomery"

Riley grabbed her face with both hands. Alison loosened her grip on her collar as her skin began to rot. She cried out in pain. A black blur passed by her, throwing her into a supply closet. Caroline was standing in front of the closet and locked the door. She picked up Riley.

"Come on. We need to go before Montgomery finds her way out of the closet"

Caroline brought her back to Elena's house. She managed a barrier spell to prevent Alison from going anywhere near the house, despite Caroline's insistence that she needed to rest. While she laid down on the couch in the living room, Caroline handed her a bag of ice. She placed it against the back of her head. An hour later, her phone vibrated in her coat pocket. Caroline grabbed it, answering a call from Damon. Her eyes widened slightly.

"What is it? Did the spell work on Alaric? Are they in trouble?"

"Do not get up, Riley. Alison really hurt you. They figured out how to kill Alaric. When Esther did the spell, she tied Alaric's life to Elena. If she dies, he dies…"

"It must be the same for Alison but with me. That's why my blood was in that bowl"

"What bowl?"

"Doesn't matter. Esther tricked her. She told Alison to kill but it would kill her too. Where are they now?"

"Klaus took Elena from the school. He was draining her of her blood…but Damon, Stefan, and Tyler stopped him. They used the desiccation spell. That's one small victory. Klaus is down and Tyler didn't have to die for it to happen"

Riley's head was filled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, she was relieved that Elena could no longer be used to make his hybrids and Tyler was not dead. Another part of her felt sympathy for Klaus. She did consider him a friend and doubted that they would revive him before Elena had her full life. Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, and Bonnie returned to the house with pizza, snacks, and liquor. They wanted to throw a victory party for getting rid of Klaus. Riley leaned against the kitchen counter, pouring chips into a bowl.

"You don't seem that happy. Where's that smile for never having to deal with Klaus again?" said Tyler.

"I am happy. We still have to get rid of Alison and Alaric but one out of three is pretty good"

He pushed her shoulder lightly. "Only positive thinking, Gilbert. I'll start. I don't have to follow his every order anymore. Your turn"

"I don't…have to deal with him flirting with me"

"See? Positive" said Matt, handing her a shot glass of tequila.

When Elena arrived at the house, they started the party. Damon and Stefan left town to hide Klaus's body far away from Alaric. Riley played a zombie video game with Tyler and Matt. As she slaughtered a zombie with a chainsaw, she heard Jeremy shout from upstairs. He was carrying Elena's unconscious body. Blood seeped from her nose. Riley rushed over to him.

"What happened?"

"I found her in Alaric's old room. She was passed out and there was blood…I called 911. They should be here soon"

"Can't we just feed her vampire blood?" asked Caroline, worried.

"We don't know why she fainted. It could be from a spell"

Minutes later, the ambulance arrived and Jeremy and Riley went with Elena to the hospital. She was placed in one of the rooms. Riley cast a barrier spell to prevent Alaric from getting near her. With his life tied to Elena's, he would want to keep her close for protection. After running some tests, Meredith told them that Elena suffered a minor concussion. She assured them that she just needed some rest.

"I was going to call your parents, Riley, but I think they're still at that council meeting"

"There was a council meeting tonight?"

"Apparently, it was an emergency. I only got out of it because of work. It's best if we leave Elena here for observation. You two can stay the night"

"Thanks, Meredith"

Jeremy was on the phone with Damon and Stefan. Both of them chastised him for bringing Elena to the hospital. They worried that one of the Originals could sneak into the hospital to kill Elena and ensure Alaric's death. Riley snatched the phone.

"Would you shut up? She'll be fine. I'll use magic to protect her"

"And what if Ric or your Queen Bee rival-turned Original vampire stops by? Can you handle them both?" asked Damon.

"If I have to, Damon. Focus on hiding Klaus"

"Take her home, Riley. You know it's not safe for her in the hospital. You can protect her at the house"

She hung up, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Jeremy, get Elena"

"What? But Meredith said—"

"I'm your cousin and despite our height difference, I'm older so you listen to me. Get Elena and we'll sneak out the back door. I think Alaric is in the hospital"

Picking up the sleeping Elena, he quietly left the hospital and placed her in the back of Riley's car. Halfway back to the house, Elena woke up, very drowsy. They helped her into the living room, sitting her down on the couch, and Caroline covered her with a blanket. Elena did not want them coddling her. She repeatedly swore that she was feeling better. Riley cast a spell to help her fall asleep.

"Is she going to be okay?" said Matt.

"Yea. Meredith said it was a concussion. She's had a rough day. I think we all need a vacation from this supernatural craziness"

The front door opened and Jayden ran into the house, breathing heavily. Tyler walked down the staircase, carrying more blankets.

"Where's the fire, man? We were waiting on you. You missed the party to celebrate our Klaus-free life. It got a little sidetracked but we can still drink tequila" said Tyler.

"Yea, awesome. Uh Riley, can I talk to you alone? It's about that chemistry assignment"

"Why are you talking about school right now?"

"Unlike you, Lockwood, he cares about his grades" said Riley, seeing the urgency in Jayden's eyes.

She led Jayden into the bathroom, locking the door. "What's wrong? Did you see Alison?"

"Alison? Why would I see her?"

"One problem at a time. You go first"

"I was outside Tyler's house. I was supposed to go to the grill with my dad but he had that emergency meeting. He told me to wait outside until it was over. You need to see this"

He showed her a video on his phone. On the screen was the council members in the living room of the Lockwood mansion. Alaric was speaking to them. He outed Caroline as a vampire and Tyler as a hybrid. With the exception of her parents, the other council members looked shocked. Some of them muttered angrily, throwing nasty glares at Liz and Mrs. Lockwood. He ordered the council to search for Klaus and Rebekah.

"This meeting is over, Alaric. We're not searching for two Originals. It's suicide" said Riley's father.

"Do you really believe that, Brendon? Or are you just saying that because your witch daughter has two of them wrapped around her finger?"

"A witch? So our accusations in the past were correct" said Mr. Montgomery with a sneer.

Her mother scoffed. "Oh be quiet, Charles. Riley is not a danger. She has control over her magic"

"Is it a lie that she's been intimate with one of those Originals?"

"Her personal life is no matter of yours"

"Why exactly have we been on the lookout for this Alec Burke? Perhaps he's only a danger to your daughter. If that's it, then hand her over. Why put us at risk for your daughter's own issues?"

Jayden stopped the video. Most of it was one long argument over the safety of the town. Some members accused her parents, Liz, and Mrs. Lockwood of working with the supernaturals to maintain a high social status. Her parents left the meeting, insulting the members for acting foolish. Alaric began to discuss the search for Klaus. Her heart raced when Alec entered the room, dressed in a crisp black suit.

"This must be the town council. I've heard much about its purpose and its members"

"Then you know the meetings are for members only" said Mrs. Lockwood.

"Apologies. I heard you mention my name. It seemed only fitting to intervene. My name is Alec Burke. I assume you've heard of me since the Gilberts had you keep track of me over the past few days. How rude of them to lie to your faces all these years. I'm sorry to say that they are wrong to portray me as a terrible man. I will not lie that I intend to kill their daughter but it is for a very good reason. The girl is a danger to all, both supernatural and human"

"Mr. Burke, I suggest you leave before our sheriff arrests you"

"Surely you've witnessed her magic. I'm aware that you have records of past meetings where you discussed her and incidents that you believed were caused by her. Her parents called you silly for such accusations but tonight, you see that you were very right. If she was such a danger then, imagine her now. If you allow her to live, it puts your own families at risk. What's stopping her from one day burning down the school and taking all those childrens' lives? It is this council's duty to keep away the supernatural. Allow me this one task and I guarantee that your lives will be better for it. Where can I find the Gilbert girl? She hasn't been home all day"

"Earlier today, she was at the school with some friends and the hybrid" said Mr. White, anxiously.

"You haven't seen her since then?"

"My son mentioned that her cousin was in the hospital. She could be there"

Liz admonished Jayden's father for allowing a stranger to hurt Riley. Mr. White, like most of the council, was afraid of anyone with supernatural abilities. Alec's lies only fueled their fear. In their eyes, Riley was a danger.

"Trust me, I yelled at my dad for ten minutes straight. He tried to force me to go home until Alec dealt with you properly. He thinks I went to the hospital to warn you. I bet Alec's there now"

"We need to warn Caroline and Tyler. What if the council goes after them?"

"Your parents should've outed Alison too. It would've wiped the smug look off of her father's face. Did you see her in town?"

"She was turned into an Original vampire like Alaric. Esther must've done the spell outside the tomb. Elena's life is tied to Alaric's and mine is tied to Alison's. Let's not worry about her. If she shows up, we could desiccate her too"

Someone banged on the door. "Riley, get out of there! You're supposed to be making tea for Elena"

Opening the door, she saw Caroline. She looked between them with a curious smile.

"Were you two making out?"

Jayden shook his head. "No. Look, you and Tyler need to see your moms. They're at his place right now. It's bad"

"Why? What happened?"

"Just go to his house. I'll stay here to help out with Elena"

Jayden forced her and Tyler out of the house. In the kitchen, Stefan was preparing a salad and Matt cleaned the dishes. Riley helped Stefan, cutting up a cucumber.

"So you told him about Alison being back? He should probably know since she's pretty much obsessed with him"

"Yea. She won't be anywhere near the house. I put up a barrier"

"Guess she wasn't in rehab like you made us think, huh?"

She looked at Stefan. "Made you think?"

He chuckled. "I kind of figured it out when Alison attacked you. It helped that I heard some of your conversation too"

"She attacked Jayden at the Halloween party and I told her to leave. I couldn't risk her attacking him. If the council knew the truth about her, she'd rat all of us out to save herself. She was supposed to be gone but Esther found her"

Elena got up from the couch to answer the door. "Stefan"

Leaving the kitchen, they found her standing in front of Elijah. Riley's heart leapt from her chest. She had to restrain herself from tackling him to the floor in a hug. Just having her arms around his neck gave her a sense of comfort that she had not felt since he left for Chicago. She leaned close to his ear.

"Alec's here. He's looking for me" she whispered very quietly.

"I'm aware. I will protect you"

The others did not share her excitement for his return. Elena looked very confused while Stefan, Matt, and Jayden were suspicious. He followed them into the dining room. When Stefan questioned him about his whereabouts, he lied that he fled to avoid his mother until he could find a way to kill her and keep his siblings safe. Only Jayden and Riley knew the truth. Damon was listening to their conversation through his phone. He was outside of town, hiding Klaus's body in a special place. Rebekah had told Elijah about Alaric's new status as an Original vampire and Klaus's dessication. As he spoke, his hand rested over Riley's, their fingers intertwined. He proposed that if they managed to retrieve the White Oak stake, he and his siblings would scatter around the world to avoid Alaric. They had spent nearly a thousand years running from their father but with Alaric's link to Elena, they would only need to be in hiding for less than a century. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She noticed that Jayden's phone beeped at the same time. There was a text from her mother, warning that Alec was moving from building to building in search of her.

"And what about Riley? Unlike you, she's not immortal"

"Jay" she hissed.

"I'm just curious. He says he cares about you so much and then he's going to ditch you again"

Elijah squeezed her hand lightly. She glared at Jayden.

"I think you should go to my house. Tell my parents that Elena is feeling better. You should warn them about Alison too"

"Are you seriously mad that I asked—"

"Go"

Matt sighed. "You're doing that thing, aren't you? You just know what the other is thinking with one look. It's like some secret code. It's impossible to figure out"

"I just told him to go to my house instead of asking stupid questions, Matt"

"Fine. I'll text you if I see Alison…and I'm taking the smoothie you made for both of us. You get none"

Walking away, he slipped her a very subtle wink. Elena and Matt were staring at her, thinking that their argument had some hidden meaning. Elijah swore that he would not revive Klaus during Elena's life or her childrens' lives. Though Rebekah and Kol agreed to the deal, Damon refused to give Klaus to them. Stefan suggested that Elena make the decision.

"Riley, talk sense to her"

"If Elijah says they won't hurt her, I believe him"

"Are you kidding?"

"Why do you want Klaus's body?" asked Elena.

"He's my brother. We remain together" said Elijah.

They devised a plan to trap Alaric. Jeremy would give a fake location for Klaus's body, telling him that it was buried in the woods. With Alaric distracted, Rebekah would take the coffin from the storage facility. Elena was staying in the house with Matt. Riley, Elijah, Stefan, and Caroline stood around a clearing in the woods, waiting for Alaric. She walked over to the wooden bridge that passed over the Falls. Elijah joined her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Do you remember this bridge? We had our first date here"

"As I recall, you refused to call it a date. I had to say that it was merely getting to know each other better. It's when I realized just how special you are and that I wanted to figure out the mystery that is Riley Gilbert. We'll have many more dates in our future so I can learn even more"

"You really think we can stop Alec?"

"Yes. It does not matter that those witches were unwilling to help you. I will deal with him myself. I will never let you be harmed, Riley. I would protect you with my life"

"I want to go with you when you leave town"

"Riley, you still have school"

"Alaric outed me as a witch to the council. I could compel all of them to forget that meeting but sooner or later, they'll figure it out again. I can go to school anywhere. Whenever we're apart, something bad happens. You just came back, Elijah. I don't want to lose you again. You can say no all you want. I'll just hide in the trunk of your car. I have a long list of terrible relationships but you're the one that feels right. I'd follow you anywhere"

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "And I would follow you. I suppose we should decide on how best to explain this to your parents. I imagine your father won't be pleased"

Caroline interrupted them, saying that Stefan received a call from Damon. As they walked back to the clearing, she smirked at Riley, linking arms. She teased her about being cutesy with Elijah. They overheard Jeremy confess that Matt was driving Elena out of Mystic Falls.

"What happened?" asked Elijah.

Considering the tears in Stefan's eyes and his concerned expression, it was bad news. Alaric knew that Klaus had been brought to the storage facility. Easily fighting off Damon and Rebekah, he found Klaus's coffin and staked him. If Klaus was honest about being the originator of their bloodline, she would lose many of her friends within the hour. Stefan handed his phone to her.

"Damon wanted to talk to you since he doesn't have enough time to get back here"

Riley stepped away from the group. Caroline stayed with her, sniffling. She hugged Caroline when she began to cry, barely able to hold herself together.

"Hey"

"Guess I can't keep that promise to you"

"You'll be fine. Klaus was probably lying"

"Maybe, maybe not. If he wasn't, you have to keep Elena and Jeremy safe. Don't let that jackass warlock beat you down. You got Fancy Pants to protect you and I'm sure he can handle that moron. I'm not anywhere near a bar so I'm going to need you to get drunk for both of us" he said, making her giggle.

"Definitely but you're all going to be fine. Maybe it doesn't work the same if the vampire is desiccated or…there has to be some loophole. I've got an hour to figure it out"

"You do that, shorty"

Worried about Tyler, Caroline left to find him at the Lockwood cellar. Riley conjured her grimoire, sitting on the ground.

"Riley" said Elijah.

"There has to be a way around it"

"I'm afraid there isn't. If they descended from Niklaus's bloodline…"

"No. There's a way to save them. This book is huge. It's filled with all kinds of stupid spells so there has to be some useful ones. I should've gone with Rebekah. I could have moved Klaus somewhere else while they dealt with Alaric"

"You cannot blame yourself"

Just five minutes later, Caroline called Riley in hysterics. Tyler had died in the cellar. Riley was unsure how long it would take for the rest to feel the effects. Rebekah appeared in the clearing. Elijah comforted her over Klaus's death. She was blinking back tears.

"I'm sorry about Klaus" mouthed Riley.

Rebekah managed a very weak smile. They discussed Tyler's death and the survival of the others. Both of them seemed certain that Klaus created their bloodline.

"You're sure it was Klaus?"

"Yes. It had to be him"

"Then why would only Tyler die? That doesn't make sense"

"Riley, look out!" she heard.

Rebekah moved in front of her, catching a stake in mid-air. A quick blur headed towards them. Elijah ran twice as quickly, grabbing the person by the throat. He was holding Alison.

"Young vampires can be quite arrogant. You're not even a year old and you dare to challenge me"

Alison kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Younger but stronger. I have a job to do"

"Riley, go. Elijah and I can hold her off" said Rebekah.

Riley ran deeper into the woods. As she neared the bridge by the Falls, a painful sensation filled her head. It felt like her brain was on fire. She fell to her knees, holding the sides of her head and crying out in pain.

"Come to me, little witch. Don't be a coward. Let us end this game of cat and mouse. The cat always wins" she heard Alec say in her head.

Crawling on the ground, she tried to call to Elijah. He was busy fighting off Alison with Rebekah and Caroline. She grabbed onto a nearby tree to lift herself up, her legs shaking. Alec walked into the clearing. The bone blade was in his hand.

"Would it be polite to give you a chance, Riley? I should at least allow you to defend yourself. Prove to me that you're as powerful as your ancestors. Do you not want to fight? Has Clare gotten into your head with her preachings of being virtuous and using your magic only for good? How noble of her"

He waved his hand. She was sent flying into the air and crashed into the cold ground. The heel of his shoe pressed into her neck. She struggled to breathe, clawing at his pant leg. He smirked, calling her defenseless and weak. Casting spell after spell, he made her feel excruciating pain. Her leg was nearly broken and blood seeped from her nose.

"You don't deserve this power. You're nothing but a child. I will make much better use of your magic. Beg me to kill you. I want to hear you plead for me to stop"

"No" she whispered.

"Did you say no? You would rather I keep putting you through this pain while your friends deal with the little vampire friend I made tonight? She proved to be a good distraction. You cannot possibly win, Riley. Beg me for mercy"

Riley spit in his face. He snarled and seized her roughly by her sweater.

"Insolent child. I will take pleasure in watching you suffer. This blade causes unimaginable torture. Most would not wish it on their worst enemy"

"You don't scare me"

She clamped both of her hands onto his wrist. For a few seconds, his sleek, dark hair turned grey. His skin began to sag, showing visible signs of aging. She felt a surge of energy flow through her body. Headbutting him hard, she stood up, no longer injured.

"What have you done?" he asked, feeling his face.

"Healing myself by taking bits of your life. I think it's only fair. I do deserve my magic. I let you toy with me for awhile but now it's my turn. By the end of this, you'll be begging me for mercy"

An intense, very violent fight ensued between them. Alec did not relent in his attacks, casting multiple spells at once. For the first time, Riley was thankful for her cheerleader practices. She was able to dodge his spells and managed to gain the advantage, putting him through immense torture. The two of them ended up near the lake, standing in the middle of the blood circle. She kicked the bone blade out of his hand. It disappeared under a pile of leaves. He punched her across the face, causing a nosebleed.

"Enough games, little witch. I will—are you laughing?"

"I was planning on cutting myself but you did the job for me"

The blood from her nose dripped onto the ground. As it made contact, the center of the circle glowed bright red and moved in various directions. Within seconds, the entire circle was glowing red and Alec's feet sunk into the ground. He struggled to break the spell.

"Don't bother. You're stuck"

"Is this your big plan? Keep me trapped like some plant?"

"No. I'm going to drain you dry. You'll slowly feel yourself getting older until your internal organs fails one by one. If you beg me for mercy, I'll stop the spell. Oh and as you get older, your magic flows into me so I'd think about giving up early before I have twice as much power and beat the crap out of your saggy, old ass"

The effects of the spell were immediate. Similar to before, his skin began to sag and his hair turned grey. He refused to give into her, shooting her a steely glare. She smirked, watching him grow weaker. His magic was absorbed by her and the feeling was pure bliss. She closed her eyes as the magic flowed through her feet and past her fingertips.

"Beg me to stop, Alec. Do you really want to go out this way? Old, grey, powerless…"

Her pleasure was cut short as a sharp object pierced her stomach. Opening her eyes, she saw Jayden. Half of the bone blade was in her stomach and the other half was in his bloody hand. The blade disappeared completely inside her. She staggered backwards out of the circle. As the agonizing pain overcame her body, she screamed and clutched her stomach. The pain became more intense by the second and her vision was very blurry. Stepping out of the circle had broken the spell and Alec managed to free himself from the ground. Jayden held a rifle, pointing it at Riley. Alec patted his shoulder.

"A shame I didn't meet your parents, Riley. I was planning on using them but a best friend is much better. Don't you agree?"

"J—Jayden, help me"

"Oh, he can't hear you. He's under my control. He will do anything I say. Even if I die, he ensures that my task is complete. He finished step one. Now onto taking your magic"

He stopped her from falling to the ground. "No, no. I want you to feel every bit of that pain. We must maintain direct eye contact while we do this, Riley. Did you honestly think you could beat me? I'm older, smarter…there is no possible scenario where you win. I promise this process is quick and painless. I simply absorb your magic and then I'll snap your neck. I take some joy that the last image you'll see is me and also your best friend, pointing a rifle at your head"

"I…won't go down that easily"

She reached into her pocket and took out a vervain grenade. Pulling the pin, she threw it at his face. Alec let go of her to shield himself. The grenade exploded, sending shards of glass and vervain everywhere. He could not cast a shield in time and the shards cut into his face, heavily scarring him. Jayden did not lower the rifle. Barely able to move without causing herself more pain, she stepped towards him.

"J—Jayden, please"

Three shots rang through the air. Riley stumbled, falling into the lake. The water quickly filled her lungs and all she could see was darkness…

~Elijah~

Dealing with his mother's latest creation before he death proved to be quite difficult. Since Alison's life was tied to Riley's, it made her nearly invincible. She was stronger than an Original and the combined efforts of him, Rebekah, and Caroline did little damage. As Caroline smacked her in the face with a log, he heard three loud gunshots. Alison was considerably weakened, unable to stand. She clutched her chest.

"W—what's happening?"

Elijah moved quickly towards the source of the gunshots. He stopped at the lake where Alec was sprawled on the ground, his face covered in fresh scars. Jayden stood just a few inches away, holding a rifle. His eyes had a dazed appearance as though he had been compelled and he showed no signs of understanding his surroundings. He noticed a trail of blood leading to the lake and a large pool of blood grazing the top of the water. Alec glowered at the young boy for his reckless actions.

"I'll retrieve her then revive her to finish my work"

"No. You won't"

He turned around and let out a harsh laugh. "Oh, have you come to save her? That blade's already inside her. She'll beg for death either way"

Elijah ripped out his heart and sliced off his head with one quick movement. His headless body crumpled to the ground. Without hesitation, he dove into the lake. He found Riley slowly sinking to the bottom and pulled her out, hoping that it was not too late. Her pulse was extremely weak. Three bullets had pierced her body, one in the neck, another in the chest, very close to her heart, and the third in her stomach. Rebekah, Caroline, Stefan, and Jeremy were standing nearby, eyes wide at the sight of Riley. Stefan had to hold onto Jeremy, keeping him calm. Jayden blinked multiple times, freed from the compulsion, and dropped the rifle.

"W—what's going on?"

"Jeremy, take Jayden back to your house" said Stefan.

"How did I get here? I was—is that Riley? How—did I"

"Jayden, you need to get home"

"I—I shot her"

"It wasn't you. You were compelled. Go back with Jeremy. She's going to be fine"

Stefan had to forcefully take them away from the lake. Elijah placed her head on his lap. He bit into his wrist. She would not open her mouth.

"Riley, you must drink. My blood will heal you"

As he felt her pulse fading, he attempted to force the blood into her mouth. "Riley, please. Just open your mouth a little"

His breath caught in his throat, knowing that vampire blood could no longer help her. Caroline let out a choked sob and vanished from the woods. Stefan chased after her. Elijah, unable to speak, held Riley to his chest, cradling her head.

"Did she have vampire blood in system?"

"Not recently"

"Why did that man attack her? Did you know she was in danger?"

"Yes"

"That's why you were gone for so long"

"I thought I could protect her. I believed that I was prepared for any possible attack. I should have stayed by her side"

"Riley didn't deserve this, Elijah. I'll find a way to make things right"

Rebekah disappeared, leaving him alone with Riley. He felt something in his suit pocket. Reaching inside, he found a folded up letter. It was written in her handwriting.

Dear Elijah,

If you're reading this, I didn't make it. I started writing this while you were gone and it's been hard to figure out what to say. Most people don't think they'll die before they get out of high school. At least it guarantees me a full page in the yearbook. Knowing Caroline, she'll force the school to have a book filled with just pictures of me. If she does, make her promise that I look good in every picture…just kidding, when don't I look good?

Elijah chuckled, continuing to read the letter.

I know how you're going to react. You'll blame yourself and go crazy, trying to figure out what you could've done to save me. None of this is your fault. Sometimes,what happens in life is inevitable. Your brother doesn't want to believe that. Over a thousand years old and he still acts like a stubborn toddler. Make sure you keep an eye on him. He's not that terrible. Somewhere deep, deep…way deep down is a good person. Rebekah isn't that bad either. She just needs someone to help her see that she can be happy. You can tell the others that I left letters for them too. They'll show up in their rooms after I'm gone. I know that you'll worry about me but I think I'll be okay. Maybe it's not that bad on The Other Side. I promise that I'll watch over you and I'll wait for you if you somehow get over here too. It might take another thousand years but that's nothing when you have an eternity. I don't want you to mope around forever so it's all right if you move on…but any new girl you date has to be less cool than me and taller. I didn't want to say this in a letter but who knows if you'll be back in Mystic Falls before I see you again. I've never cared about someone as much as I care about you. Every moment spent with you was perfect. I'll be waiting for our next date on The Other Side, even if takes centuries.

I love you, Elijah.

Forever yours,

Riley

The letter was stained with tears. He wiped his eyes and tucked the letter into his pocket. As more tears threatened to fall, he leaned close and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Riley. Always and forever"

Elijah carried her out of the woods, tears trickling down his face. As he contemplated how to begin to explain tonight's events to her parents, he wondered if Riley was standing beside him, watching him from the Other Side...

---

A/N: Thanks for reading. This story is going to continue, despite the ending. The next chapter passes over most of the arc of season four. Besides my opinion that the cure storyline was not that great, there is a reasoning why the next chapter will start at a certain point. Surprising alliances are made between characters though both have different agendas and one character will have a slightly different appearance. In the time between these two chapters, a character has become more dangerous than before and there will be flashbacks, anger, confusion, and tears.